Specially programmed computer server serving pages offering commercial opportunities for merchants through coordinated offsite marketing

ABSTRACT

An e-commerce outsourcing system and method provides hosts with transparent, context-sensitive e-commerce supported pages. The look and feel of a target host is captured for future use. The host is provided with one or more links for inclusion within a page on the host website that correlates with a selected commerce object, which may be contextually related to material in the page. The commerce object can be a product, a product category, or a dynamic selection indicator. Upon activation of the provided link, a visitor computer is served with a page with the look and feel of the host website and with content based upon the associated commerce object. Where the commerce object is a dynamic selection indicator, the content is selected at the time of activation based upon an analysis of the page containing the activated link.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/906,979, filed Oct. 18, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,515,825, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/343,464, filed Jan. 30, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,818,399, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/461,997, filed Jun. 11, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,993,572, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/398,268, filed Sep. 17, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,135, which claims the benefit of application Ser. No. 60/100,697, filed Sep. 17, 1998, which applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention relates to a system and method supporting commerce syndication. More specifically, the invention relates to a system and method for computer based information providers to receive outsourced electronic commerce facilities in a context sensitive, transparent manner.

2. Description of Prior Art

The World Wide Web began as a simple interface to the Internet using HTML (hypertext markup language) as a means of linking documents together. This allowed a researcher, for example, to embed “active” references in his or her documents that, if selected, would enable the reader to review the source of the reference first-hand. Programmers quickly capitalized on this technology, creating “web sites” which reflected less staid purposes, laying the groundwork for the literal “web” of content and interactive applications that exists today. In the early stages, website programmers increased visitor traffic by placing “links” within their websites to other websites, usually related in content or function, in exchange for a reciprocal link. Additionally, directories of websites, such as Yahoo, and search engines, such as WebCrawler, began to appear in an attempt to organize the content of the Internet so that its users could create “custom links pages” related to specific topics.

In these early days, the Web was mostly trafficked by programmers and “techies,” and a commune-type “share and share alike” mindset prevailed. As a result, people were happy to litter their sites with links, knowing that, odds were, others would do the same for them and the traffic gain/loss would probably balance out. So, despite the fact that by including and promoting a “links” page, website operators were effectively encouraging people to leave their website, link sharing developed into a standard practice.

Then, entrepreneurs and other business-oriented individuals came along and introduced capitalism to the Internet. Profit-oriented website operators began to seek visitors wherever they could find them, and opportunistic owners of popular sites began to realize that they had an increasingly scarce resource—visitors. Such website owners began to sell the links they had previously offered for free in the form of paid advertisements. Search engines and directories became increasingly popular for two main reasons. First, the number of websites was growing astronomically, so it was becoming harder for users to find what they wanted. Second, since reciprocal links were either going away or were being replaced by links exclusively to non-competing websites, search engines and directories were the only way to find multiple resources for a single topic.

Amid frantic efforts on the part of corporate websites to get noticed, the sale of banner ads blossomed into a large industry called Internet advertising. Thousands of websites created space for banner ads and called the space “inventory.” At first, they priced ads as a print ad might be priced: by CPM, or cost per thousand “impressions” each ad made on website visitors. Over time this pricing model gave way to arrangements more favorable to advertisers such as Cost Per Click-through and Cost Per Inquiry (meaning the advertiser only needs to pay when a visitor sees a banner ad and clicks on it and completes an information request form on the advertiser's site).

Some of the most successful Internet commerce websites, led by online bookseller Amazon.com, have begun to take an even more results-driven approach to the purchase of banner ads. They have offered to pay only for ads that, when clicked, result in a product sale. To provide a stronger incentive than a simple banner ad, these companies let third-party website owners list a subset of their goods (e.g., 10 of Amazon.com's millions of books, selected by the website owner) and promote them as they choose within their websites. Initiatives such as these have come to be described as “affiliate programs”, “associate programs” or “commission based advertising programs”.

The benefits of affiliate programs are significant. To the website owner, they constitute revenue-generating web content without requiring an investment in product inventory or additional infrastructure. They also create new revenues without necessarily reducing the website's available ad inventory. However, the greater benefit almost always accrues not to the affiliate, but to Amazon.com and other online stores. Not only do these sites benefit from the marketing resources of the affiliate operators, they are also able to lure the visitor traffic away from the affiliate. Once a visitor clicks on an affiliate ad and enters an online store, that visitor has left the affiliate's site and is gone. At best, affiliates are able to use “frames” to keep a shell of their own website around the vendor's site, but this is only a marginally effective solution. No alternatives have been able to address a fundamental drawback of the affiliate programs—the loss of the visitor to the vendor. At best, some Internet affiliate sales vendors have begun placing “return to referring website” links on their order confirmation screens, an approach that is largely ineffective. This limitation of an affiliate program restricts participation to less trafficked websites that are unconcerned about losing visitors. Meanwhile, search engines and directories continue to increase in their usefulness and popularity, while banner ads and old-style links continue their rapid loss of effectiveness and popular usage.

The present invention overcomes these limitation of present affiliate commerce systems and provides other benefits as will become clearer to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The affiliate commerce system and method of the present invention represents a new paradigm of co-marketing on the Internet. Not only does the present invention provide its Hosts with the added value and incremental revenues of traditional affiliate programs, but the company also enables Hosts to control the customer experience before, during, and after the purchase transaction. At the same time, Merchants receive the same benefits as with older affiliate programs, i.e., increased marketing potential, incremental sales, and new customer relationships, but without the restrictive limitations of affiliate programs—the loss of hard-won visitor traffic.

Additionally, the present invention can actually obviate the need for some merchants to invest in their own unique Internet presence. By using the present invention as their primary online sales channel, these Merchants can focus on product development, production, and order fulfillment and leave the exploration of the Internet to experts. The resulting ongoing cost savings and operational efficiencies magnify the potential benefits of the Internet while reducing the initial costs.

According to the present invention the look and feel of each participating Host is captured and stored. Hosts may include links to selected products or product categories within pages residing on the Hosts' website. Upon actuation of such a link by a visitor of the Host website, a page is presented to the visitor incorporating a replica of the Host's look and feel directed to the sale of the selected products or product categories.

The look and feel of a host is captured and stored by receiving an identification of an example page of a target host. The identified page is retrieved. The look and feel elements of the page are identified, and these elements are stored for future use in generating outsourced transparent pages, pages served by a server other than the host but with the host's look and feel. Such pages give the viewer of the page the impression that she is viewing pages served by the host.

The links included by the host directed to the outsource provider need not be statically linked to a particular product or product category. Such links may direct the outsource provider to dynamically select content to serve within the host's look and feel. This content may be selected based upon a contextual analysis of the page which includes the link. Further, the dynamic content need not be limited to products or product categories but may include any content within the system's data store that is amenable to contextual correlation with content in the page containing the link.

A cost effective, scalable architecture may be used to serve dynamically constructed pages such as those served by the e-commerce outsource provider. This architecture includes three levels: a Web server layer, an application server layer and a database server layer.

The Web server layer provides a front end presentation layer for interacting with end users. This layer may consist of one or more interchangeable low cost server systems. Any request from an end user may be fielded by any system within the layer. The selected system can contact any application server within the application layer to provide processed data for use in responding to the end user request.

The application layer supports interacting with the database server level to acquire needed data and processing it prior to presentation by the Web server layer. As with the Web server layer, this layer may consist of one or more interchangeable low cost server systems. Any Web server system may submit a request to any application server. The application server includes processing functionality suitable for the types of pages to be dynamically constructed.

The database server layer supports low level management of data used in dynamic page construction. The data store across the one or more low cost server systems is seamlessly viewed as an integrated whole. As a consequence, any database server within the layer can field any request for data submitted by an application server.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a typical hardware architecture implementing the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the software architecture of the Web server layer.

FIG. 3 illustrates the software architecture of the application server layer.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the pages and procedures in the host signup process.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the pages and procedures in the host account information maintenance process.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the pages and procedures in the host look and fee capture process.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the pages and procedures in the host link generation process.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the dynamic content selection and presentation process.

FIG. 9 is a screen capture of a Merchant Manager page in a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a screen capture of a Host Manager page in a preferred embodiment.

FIGS. 11-18 are screen captures of the page in a preferred embodiment of a look and feel capture process.

FIG. 19 is a screen capture of a typical e-commerce supported page served in a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a screen capture of a System Manager page in a preferred embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a flow chart of the pages and procedures in the host view reports process.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart of the pages and procedures in the shopping process.

FIG. 23 is a flow chart of the pages and procedures in the merchant account maintenance process.

FIG. 24 is a flow chart of the pages and procedures in the merchant catalog maintenance process.

FIG. 25 is a flow chart of the pages and procedures in the merchant view reports process.

FIG. 26 is a flow chart of the pages and procedures in the merchant view hosts process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A preferred embodiment of the invention is now described in detail. Referring to the drawings, like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

A typical embodiment of the present invention will include a data store including a look and feel description associated with a host website, a communications link to a visitor computer, and a processor. The processor performs the tasks of capturing a look and feel description associated with a host website, storing the captured look and feel description in the data store, providing the host website with a link that link correlates the host website with a commerce object for inclusion within a page on the host website and which, when activated, causes the processor to serve an e-commerce supported page via the communication link with a look and feel corresponding to the captured look and feel description of the host website associated with the provided link and with content based on the commerce object associated with the provided link. The Internet serves as the communication link to visitor computers.

In a preferred embodiment as exhibited by FIG. 1, the duties of the processor are split among several computer systems 120 a-120 c, 125 a-125 d, 130 a-130 b. The data store may be implemented through a database system 130 a-130 b, 135 a-135 d. The Internet 110 serves as the communication link to visitor computers 105 a-105 f. In this preferred embodiment, the system utilizes multiple inexpensive computer systems at every level of the architecture. Routing between levels will automatically distribute the load amongst the functioning computers. Increasing throughput becomes a matter of adding more computers, not scaling up the existing ones. This arrangement also provides fault tolerance since the failure of one server will not incapacitate the system as long as another server providing the same service is alive. This approach also permits the distribution of servers geographically. A router 115 may also provide further load balancing.

The tasks performed by the processor may utilize a variety of underlying software technology. In a preferred embodiment, the software architecture can be divided into 3 tiers: web server, application-server and database-server. Each tier is comprised of a number of software layers.

Web Server Tier

The Web Server tier accesses application functionality by calling a single “Request” Application Programming Interface (API). The API will take a Document Object Model (DOM) (as specified by W3C in http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-DOM-Level-1, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) object as a parameter and return a DOM object as the response. The request will be relayed to the application server tier where a dispatching method will unpack the request object, inspect it, invoke the desired method, and send back the response object. This approach means that new functionality becomes available as soon as the application server is upgraded. It is not necessary to develop a set of “stubs” that mirror the new API call. This is a major advantage because new functionality in the application tier can be exploited immediately simply by modifying the Active Server Page (ASP) scripts. No web server resident Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) need to be upgraded so the server does not need to be shut down. The web server tier will typically run on server computers 120 a-120 c having a multitasking operating system such as Windows NT from Microsoft or other suitable operating system software. The Web Server tier contains the following layers as illustrated in FIG. 2:

-   -   Web Server Software 210. In a preferred embodiment, IIS by         Microsoft is the server software. It supports serving side         scripting using the VBScript scripting language.     -   ASP Scripts 220. All HTML content is rendered by ASP server         scripts. The ASP scripting environment can interact with         software modules written to Microsoft's COM specification.     -   COM Adapters 230. A set of COM wrappers provides the bridge         between the ASP scripts and other elements of the system. The         wrappers provide the necessary data conversions but do not         contain any substantial functionality. The wrappers are not         application specific.     -   API Client Layer 240. The API Client Layer consists of the very         thin “request” API described above. This layer cooperates with         the Object Cache layer. For example, before retrieving a catalog         from the application layer, this layer may check to see if the         requested catalog is already in the object cache.     -   Object Cache 250. The object cache contains the responses to         previously submitted requests. All items in the cache are marked         with an expiration time that is set at the time they are         originally retrieved. The purpose of this layer is to reduce the         load on the application tier.     -   Remote Procedure Call Client 260. The Remote Procedure Call         Client provides connectivity to the application tier. It also         provides request routing. In the event of application server         failure, this client will automatically reconnect to a working         server. This piece of software is not application dependent. In         a preferred embodiment, the DBMS Component Server Client is the         Objectstore Component Server Client (OCSC).

In a preferred embodiment, the Web server layer supports the following four Web interface modules. In a preferred embodiment, these modules are encoded with ASP to generate appropriate HTML and Javascript. The four modules are as follows:

1. Merchant Manager

The Merchant Manager is the “Control Center” for Merchants. This module allows the merchant to maintain their products, catalogs, contact information, track orders, process returns, run reports, etc.

A merchant representative must login before performing any system activities. Any valid merchant user will be able to perform all possible actions on the merchant to which it is related. Only registered merchants will have a valid account. An account for a merchant is established when the merchant registers with the system. A merchant representative may initiate registration via a web interface. The signup process must collect basic merchant information, including the information necessary to pay the merchant, and a password, which will be used to create a user account for the merchant. Once the merchant is approved (this may be automatic), the merchant will be sent an email containing a unique user id which can be used to login to the system.

When a representative logs in, she is taken directly to the Merchant Manager as seen in FIG. 9 and assigned a Merchant Session ID (Merchant SID). All pages within the merchant system must retrieve the MerchantSID from the HTTP request and validate it. If the session does not validate, the representative is taken back to the Login screen.

This module contains the following submodules:

-   -   Account Information         -   A merchant representative will be able to maintain the basic             merchant profile, which includes the information needed to             pay the merchant, the merchant's password, and the             merchant's shipping policy information. FIG. 23 depicts the             pages and procedures in a typical merchant account             maintenance process. The representative selects to maintain             account information 2305 from the Merchant Manager page 2300             leading to the display of the a basic information             modification page 2310. Each modifiable information type             could be altered through a designated page available through             the basic information page 2310. Each such page could             provide functionality to save any changes made to the             particular page.         -   This sub-module allows a merchant to maintain the following             types of information:             -   Basic information 2310—name, description, address, logo             -   Contacts 2320—for admin, finance, returns, support,                 order notification             -   Product Defaults 2330—price labels, unit of weight,                 display options             -   Payment info 2340—check or ACH, payee info, bank info             -   Shipping Option 2350—by price, items, weight, other or                 NA             -   Shipping Table 2360—maintain shipping methods and prices             -   Tax Schedule 2370—set tax rate for states in which taxes                 are collected. This may be automated in the future.     -   Products and Catalogs         -   Here the merchant can both maintain products and arrange             them into catalogs. Example product attributes include:             -   name             -   description             -   attributes—such as size, color, etc.             -   price(s)—normal, sale, competitor's and the price can be                 set or changed by an attribute             -   small image—used in most places             -   large image—used for zoom-in in shopping         -   The merchant can also maintain their catalogs and             categories. A catalog is the top level category. A merchant             can have one or more catalogs. Each catalog will be             presented to Hosts as a separate entity. However, it is             still tied back to the merchant. The merchant logo can be             assigned to the catalog or a different image selected.         -   A catalog is considered a commerce object. Further, a             catalog is populated with product or product category             commerce objects. An indicator for dynamic selection of a             product or product category may also be considered a             commerce objects; however, such objects would not appear in             a catalog.         -   Categories are then placed in the catalog(s). Categories can             also be placed into other categories. A catalog or category             can contain an infinite number of categories but really             should be kept to less than 10 at any given level for             presentation purposes. The bottom level categories contain             products. The product node is actually a pointer to the             product in the inventory table. This allows for a product to             be placed into multiple categories.         -   A catalog, category or a product can be set to be inactive.             If it is set as inactive, it will not be available to the             hosts to browse or sell. It will also not be available to             customers in the shopping area. If a catalog or category is             set as inactive, then every item beneath it (categories or             products) is also inactive.         -   A product also has a flag to indicate it is out of stock.             When a product is no longer going to be sold by the             merchant, it should be set to inactive. If the product is             simply out of stock, thus temporarily unavailable, the out             of stock flag should be used.         -   If a host has an existing link that points to an inactive or             out of stock product or an inactive catalog or category, the             customer will be taken to the first level above that is             active. For example, if a customer clicks on a Link that             points to coffee pot A, and coffee pot A has been set to             inactive, the shopping page will display the entire coffee             pot category (all the active coffee pots). If the coffee pot             category was set to inactive, then the shopping page would             go to the next level up (such as Kitchen Appliances). In             this case the shopper will be given a message indicating the             selected product or category is not available. If a host has             a link associated with a dynamic selection indicator             commerce object, the triggering of such a link will cause             the dynamic selection of a product or product category.         -   FIG. 24 depicts pages and procedures used in a merchant             catalog and product maintenance process. When a merchant             representative logs into the system, she is presented with             the merchant manager page 2300. From this page, she may             choose to proceed to the edit products and catalogs page             2400. On this page, she may elect to search for a product             through entering criteria 2405. She may elect to preview a             particular product 2410 and, from the preview, view             additional information associated with the particular             product 2415.         -   From the edit products and catalogs page 2400, she may also             choose to edit a particular product 2420 or edit by catalog             or category 2442. In editing a particular product 2420, she             may elect to save the information associated with the             product 2422, select a current attribute to edit 2424             leading to the attribute edit page 2430 or create a new             attribute associated with the product 2426. An attribute             includes a collection of options such as sizes or colors. If             she selects to add a new attribute 2426, a new attribute             creation page is presented 2428. Upon creation of the new             attribute, the new attribute is saved, and the             representative proceeds to the attribute edit page 2430.             From this page, she may choose to save or cancel the current             attribute edit 2435.         -   If the representative chooses to edit by catalog or category             2442, she is presented a page allowing selection of catalogs             or categories 2440 through navigating the catalog/category             hierarchies 2444. Once a particular catalog or category is             identified, she may edit it via a catalog/category edit page             2450. After editing, the alterations are saved 2455             returning her to the catalog or category selection page             2440.     -   Reports         -   A merchant representative may request on-demand reports.             Such reports include an account statement that details all             payments to the merchant, and statistics about catalog             visits and sales. Statistics can be correlated to hosts,             links, products and time periods.         -   As illustrated in FIG. 25, a merchant representative begins             at the Merchant Manager page 2300. She selects the view             reports option 2505 to view the report menu page 2510. From             the reports menu page 2510, she may enter criteria 2514,             2518 leading respectively to a revenue summary page 2520 or             a monthly statement page 2530. From the monthly statement             page 2530, she may change criteria 2535 to view a revised             monthly statement 2530 or return to the report menu 2510.             From the revenue summary page 2520, she may select a             specific item 2525 for receiving a detailed revenue page             2550, alter the criteria 2527 to receive a revised revenue             summary 2520, or return to the reports menu page 2510. From             the detailed revenue page 2550, she may return to the             revenue summary page 2520.         -   The following reports are available for the merchants to             track their results:             -   Revenue Summary by Month                 -   This report provides sales and traffic information                     summarized by month. Data includes number of                     sessions, number of orders, gross and net sales,                     etc. Summarizes at the month level and allows ‘Drill                     Down’ to daily information.             -   Revenue Summary by Host                 -   This report provides sales and traffic information                     summarized by host. Data includes number of                     sessions, number of orders, gross and net sales,                     etc.             -   Revenue Summary by Product                 -   This report provides sales and traffic information                     summarized by Product. Data includes number of                     sessions, quantity in shopping cart and gross order                     amount.         -   All reports can be run as quick reports (this month, last             month, this year, last year, all sales) or by inputting a             specific date range.     -   Order Tracking         -   A merchant representative can access a web interface that             allows her to report the status of orders. This includes:             reporting when the order was shipped, along with tracking             information, and the status of all returned items.         -   The order tracking sub-module allows the merchant to manage             all areas of an order. An order can have the following             status:             -   new—the order has been received and credit card                 information validated             -   pending—the merchant has acknowledged the order, it is                 waiting to be shipped             -   shipped—the merchant has shipped the order         -   An order can be shipped in multiple shipments. The merchant             is credited for sales on shipped items.         -   The customer may also return part of an order or the entire             order. The customer will obtain an RMA number (see the             Shopping sub-module). All the merchant needs to do is             acknowledge they have received the product back from the             customer.     -   Review Hosts         -   The Merchant Manager also allows the merchant to review             which hosts have built links to that merchant's products.             The merchant can also view the host web page containing such             links.         -   A merchant representative will be able to review the list of             hosts with which the merchant has a relationship. The             merchant will have access to some basic information about             the host, including at least one of the host's links, so             that the host's look and feel can be evaluated.         -   In a preferred embodiment, a representative may review hosts             through pages and procedures as depicted in FIG. 26. She             begins at the Merchant Manager page 2300. She selects the             review hosts option to view the merchant-host relationship             page 2600. From this page, she may elect to view one of her             products in the host's look and feel 2610 or view a list of             links with the selected host that are directed to her             commerce objects 2620.         -   Automated interfaces can be introduced for merchants wishing             to integrate their business systems with the functionality             supported by the present inventions. Merchants can update             their online catalogs, retrieve information on orders             placed, and send order status updates back via automated             interfaces. This integration is accomplished through the             establishment and use of a standardized communication             protocol.         -   In a preferred embodiment, merchants integrate by exchanging             specially formatted XML documents over secure HTTP             connections (i.e. HTTP over SSL). If the request is a query,             the HTTP response will contain an XML document with the             query results. Likewise, if the request is a command, the             response will be an XML document containing the success or             failure of the command.         -   Automated requests and responses are XML documents as             described by the W3C's XML 1.0 specification, which may be             found at http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml and which is expressly             incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The XML             specification only describes the syntax of an XML document,             it does not place any restrictions on the content of the             document. The content of requests and responses is described             using a formal notation known as DCD (for Document Content             Description). DCD's are described in a note that was             submitted to the W3C by Microsoft and IBM. The DCD note can             be viewed online at: http://www.w3.org/TR/NOTE-dcd and which             is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its             entirety. A specific DCD describes the format of a request             or response in the same way that the SMTP specification             describes the format of an email. Typical DCDs for Automated             Interfaces may be accessed at the following URLS:             http://automation.nexchange.net/dcd/ManageInventory.01.02.dcd.xml             and             http://automation.nexchange.net/dcd/ManageCatalog.01.02.dcd.xml,             both documents are expressly incorporated herein by             reference in their entirety.         -   All interfaces have the same basic structure. The table             below illustrates the basic structure of Automated Interface             requests and responses.

<ManageOrders specification=’http://www.nexchange.net/ automated/xml/ManageOrders.01.01.dcd’> HEADER  <RequestHeader>   <Authentication    username=’xxx’    password=’xxx’    scope=’xxx’   />   <Instructions OnFail=’HALT’/> Response    <Receipt Processor=’xxx’ Date=’xxx’ Number=’xxx’/>    <ResponseSummary Status=’SUCCESS’>      Error Message Here    </ResponseSummary>  </RequestHeader> BODY  <RequestBody> Query    <Command status=’SUCCESS’>      <QueryNewOrders/> query      <QueryNewOrdersResponse>         Query Results Here      </QueryNewOrdersResponse>    </Command> Operation    <Command status=’SUCCESS’>      <AcknowledgeOrder order_id=’xxx’ item_price_total=’xxx’/>    </Command>  </RequestBody> </ManageOrders>

-   -   -   All responses contain the original request with status             information and query results appended. The table above             shows a response to a Manage Orders request. The response is             divided into a header and a body section (“RequestHeader” &             “RequestBody” respectively).         -   The RequestHeader element contains authentication             information and global instructions. When the request is             returned, the request header will also contain a receipt and             a response summary. The authentication element carries the             information needed to identify and authenticate the             requesting party. The global instruction element contains             instruction on how the request is to processed if an error             is received. The remainder of the commands in the request             can be processed or the request can be discontinued. In a             response, the receipt element is added to the request             header. Information in the receipt can be used to recover             the response. The response summary element contains a status             code, which will be set to “SUCCESS” if all commands were             completed successfully.         -   The RequestBody element contains one or more command             elements. The exact content of a command element depends on             the interface being used. When a command is submitted, its             status attribute will always be “REQUESTED”. When the             command has been processed, the response will echo back the             command with the status changed to “SUCCESS”, “FAILURE” or             “SKIP”. In the case of a query command, the response will             contain a query response in addition to the status.         -   If the request conforms to the DCD, the response will             contain the original request with the status and query             results embedded. The command status codes must be inspected             to determine what has been done.         -   If the request did not conform to the specification, two             possible error types can occur:

    -   XML Parsing Error

    -   DCD Validating Error         -   Errors are returned as NexError node. If a NexError is             returned, the XML document has not been processed. The             returned XML should always be examined for a NexError.         -   If the request document is not valid XML, an XML Parsing             Error will be returned. A NexError node will be added around             the entire document. It will look similar to the following:             <NexError Msg=“XML Parsing Error” . . . >

<XMLParseError errorcode=“ ” reason=“ ” line=“ ” linepos=“ ”>

-   -   offending section of document

</XMLParseError>

</NexError>

-   -   The errorcode, reason, line and linepos will contain information         explaining what the error is and the location in the file.     -   If the request document is valid XML but does not match the         published Interface DCD, a DCD Validating Error will be         returned. A NexError node will be added around the entire         document. A DCDError node will be embedded in the document at         the location of the error. It will look similar to the         following:         <NexError Msg=“XML Validating Error” . . . >

<XMLValidateError msg=“Find the DCDError Node in the document for detailed error information.”/>

-   -   . . . Valid Portion of document . . .     -   <DCDError message=“ ”>         -   offending section of document     -   </DCDError>     -   . . . Valid Portion of document . . .

</XMLValidateError>

</NexError>

-   -   The following is an example request attempt to add one new         product and to update the price of an existing product.

2. Host Manager <ManageInventory specification=‘http://automation.nexchange.net/dcd/Manage Inventory.01.02.dcd.xml’>  <RequestHeader>   <Authentication username=‘xxxxx’  password=′xxxx′ scope=‘MNNN’/>   <Instructions onfail=‘CONTINUE’/>  </RequestHeader>  <RequestBody>   <Command status=‘REQUESTED’>    <AddProductDef updateifexists=‘1’>     <ProductDef       id=‘saw’       skumask=‘saw’       name=‘saw’    description=‘A Circular Saw From Festo’     shortdescription=‘Festo Circular Saw’      info=‘no comment’   image=‘http://216.0.58.242/rmtools/fw132saw.jpg’  largeimage=‘http://216.0.58.242/rmtools/fw132saw.jpg’      usualprice=‘145.00’      saleprice=‘135.00’      compareprice=‘215.00’      salelabel=‘HOT PRICE’      instock=‘1’      commplan=‘default’     >      <AttributeDefList/>      <KeywordList/>     </ProductDef>    </AddProductDef>   </Command>   <Command status=‘REQUESTED’>    <UpdateProductDef     id=‘saw’   image=‘http://216.0.58.242/rmtools/fw132saw.jpg’    />   </Command>  </RequestBody> </ManageInventory>

The Host Manager is the “Control Center” for Hosts. Here, a Host can track sales, design their store front, generate links to merchant products, get traffic/order reports, update account information, etc

For a host to gain access to the host manager system, the host must be registered. FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart for a typical registration process. A host representative may initiate contact 410 with the system via a web interface. The signup process must collect basic host information 420, including the information necessary to pay the host a commission for purchases through his site, which is saved by the system 430. Optionally, a click agreement containing terms of use 440 may be presented requiring agreement 444 to proceed. If at some point the representative elects to cancel 425, 458 or reject the use agreement 448, he or she is returned to her point of entry 410. The system may then request the representative to select a user identification and a password 450. If the selected user identification is already in use 454, the representative may be prompted to select a user identification 450. The information associated with the host is stored 460, and the representative may proceed to the host manager system page 470.

When a host logs in, they are taken directly to the Host Manager, as seen in FIG. 10, and assigned a Host Session ID (Host SID). All pages within the host system must request the Host Sid and call the ValidateHostSessionID function. If the session does not validate, the user is taken back to the Login screen.

This module contains the following submodules:

-   -   Account Information         -   This sub-module allows a host to maintain the following             types of information:             -   Administrative Contact—name, address, phone             -   Payee Contact—name, address, phone, SSN             -   Site Information—site name, URL, description             -   Site Demographics—# of visitors, type of visitors,                 comments         -   A host representative will be able to maintain basic host             information, including the information needed to pay the             host, and the host's password. FIG. 5 depicts a flow chart             of the pages and actions in a typical maintenance process.             The representative has previously logged into the system to             reach the host manager system page 470. From the host             manager system, the representative selects to update her             account 510 leading to a host information maintenance page             520. The representative can modify host information and,             then choose to save or cancel the modification 530. In             either case, the representative is returned to the host             manger system page 470.     -   Store Front Design         -   The store front design is where the host's look and feel is             captured. The look and feel is captured by selecting an             example page the host, retrieving the sample page from the             host, identifying the look and feel elements from the sample             page and saving the identified look and feel elements. “Look             and feel elements” include logos, colors, page layout,             navigation systems, frames, ‘mouse-over’ effects, or other             elements that are consistent through some or all of a Host's             website. A typical system for accomplishing this task would             include a data store for storing look and feel descriptions,             a communication channel to the host whose look and feel is             to be captured and a processor for executing the capture.         -   When a customer clicks on a host buying opportunity (link),             the next page loaded will be a shopping page. However, this             shopping page should retain the host's look and feel. This             is accomplished by capturing the HTML text and images that             comprise their look and feel and embed within it the             shopping HTML content. Any relative URLs in the host look             and feel may be changed to absolute URLs back to the host             system.         -   In a preferred embodiment, there are five steps to a process             capturing the host's look and feel, converting relative URLs             to absolute URLs and validation of links.         -   A host representative will be able to capture host look and             feel information and to update host look and feel             information through recapture. FIG. 6 depicts a flow chart             of the pages and actions in a typical look and feel capture             process. The representative has previously logged into the             system to reach the host manager system page 470. From this             page, the representative selects to initiate host look and             feel capture through a design storefront wizard 605. An             introduction page is presented explaining the process 610             from which the representative proceeds in the following             manner:             -   Base URL 615—the URL used to convert relative links to                 absolute links, as seen in FIG. 11             -   header 620—the HTML to be rendered BEFORE the shopping                 html. Selection may be made by code, as seen in FIG. 12,                 by graphical point and click selection or other suitable                 selection method.             -   footer 625—the HTML to be rendered AFTER the shopping                 html. Selection may be made by code, as seen in FIG. 13,                 by graphical point and click selection or other suitable                 selection method.             -   preview 630—shows what the shopping page will look like                 (nothing has been captured yet). From this preview page                 630, as seen in FIG. 14, the representative may elect to                 return to earlier stage to perform a change 635, 640 or                 645 of base URL, header or footer respectively. The user                 may also have access to a preview 650 with example                 content included to demonstrate a typical page with both                 content and look and feel 680, as seen in FIG. 15. From                 the generic preview page 630, the representative may                 choose to continue 655 with finalizing the look and feel                 660.             -   final check 660—finalize the captured look and feel, as                 seen in FIG. 16, this page may allow validation of links                 and images and offer to save the captured look and feel.                 Once validation, if any has been performed, and the look                 and feel has been saved, the process completes 675.                 -   validation 665—validate the link and image URLs in                     the header and footer HTML. FIG. 17 displays the                     screen capture of page that could be used to display                     validation progress.                 -   save 670—Actually captures, processes and saves the                     storefront information. A completion page such as                     seen in FIG. 18 may be displayed.         -   For security reasons, javascript is accepted but applets are             stripped out in the preferred embodiment.     -   Link Generator         -   The Link Generator allows host to create and maintain the             shopping opportunities that they can then place on their             site. Each Link is assigned a unique Link ID. The Link ID             identifies who the host is, who the merchant is, and what             commerce object (catalog, category, product or dynamic             selection) is linked to.         -   The first time a host builds a Link to a merchant's product,             category or catalog, an approval of that host for that             merchant may be made. Until the host is approved, they             cannot see the Link ID that has been assigned to the newly             created Link.         -   The code the host embeds on their web site is as follows:             <!-- BEGIN NEXCHANGE LINK -->             <!-- For more information go to http://www.nexchange.com -->             <!-- The following 2 lines MUST NOT BE CHANGED to ensure             proper crediting -->             <IMG BORDER=‘0’             SRC=‘http://www.nexchange.net/img.asp?LinkID=xxxx’>             <a href=‘http://www.nexchange.net/route.asp?LinkID=xxxx’>             <!-- Substitute your own text or image below -->             ** YOUR TEXT OR IMAGE HERE **</a>             <!-- END NEXCHANGE LINK -->     -   There are several points to note here:         -   The image src (img.asp) is actually an ASP program that             returns a single transparent pixel. This is used to track             impressions (how many times the link was displayed on the             host site).         -   The route.asp page is a page that routes the customer to the             shopping page. As additional servers are added, this will             become very important for load balancing.         -   The ‘xxxx’ for the LinkID=‘xxxx’ is the Link ID assigned to             the Link in the Link Generator.     -   A host representative will be able to generate links to commerce         objects. FIG. 7 depicts a flow chart of the pages and actions in         a typical link generation process. The representative has         previously logged into the system to reach the host manager         system page 470. From this page, the representative selects to         generate links 705, which transfers her to a page containing a         list of all previously generated links for that host 710.     -   From this page, the representative may choose among several         options: view an existing link 722, remove an existing link 735,         edit an existing link 728 or add a new link to either a merchant         with whom a link already exists 720 or a merchant without an         existing link 715. In viewing an existing link 722, the page         containing the link may optionally displayed in a separate         window 725; as a consequence, the representative could continue         to interact with the list of available links page 710 in the         primary window. The representative could select a link for         removal 735 and, upon removal, return to the list of links page         710. The representative may choose to edit an existing link 728         leading to a link modification page 730. After modifying the         link, the new link information would be saved 740, and the         representative would return to the list of available links 710.     -   In adding a new link, a distinction may be made whether a link         is made to a merchant to whom the host has previously linked 720         or to a merchant to whom a previous link does not exist 715. In         the latter case, an extra optional step may be involved to         approve the host with respect to the new merchant as part of the         catalog selection process 745. In other embodiments, such a         distinction need not be made. In linking to a merchant to whom a         previous link does exist 720, a catalog may implicitly be         selected. In either situation, the creation process continues by         allowing the representative to choose a commerce object to         associate with the link 750. Such a commerce object will be a         product, a product category, a catalog or an indication that a         product, product category or catalog should be chosen         dynamically. From this page, the representative may go back to         the catalog selection page 745 or proceed with setting link         attributes 755 such as the destination upon return from the link         (e.g. the point of departure into the e-commerce page or a         destination designated by the representative). From this page         755, the representative can return to the commerce object         selection page 750 or continue forward with naming and saving         the new link 760. Upon completion of naming and saving page 760,         the link is saved to the system database 765, and the         representative is provided with a link to include within a page         on the host website 770. After cancellation at any time, or upon         completion, the representative is returned to the list of         available links page 710.     -   Where a host representative chooses a dynamic indicator as the         commerce object, the specific content will be chosen         contextually based upon the content of the page that includes         the link. In a preferred embodiment, keywords in the page are         cross-reference with available catalogs, product categories and         products to choose the appropriate content for the destination         page associated with the link. FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the         selection process in such a preferred embodiment.     -   A visitor is viewing the host page including a link associated         with a dynamic selection commerce object 810. The visitor         activates the link. Receiving the activation, a determination is         made as to whether content has previously been dynamically         selected for the activated link 820. If yes, a second         determination is made as to whether the previously dynamically         selected content is current 830. If this is answered in the         affirmative, a page is constructed with the previously         dynamically selected content along with the look and feel         associated with the host from which the link originated 840.     -   If either determination is negative, the host page including the         link is retrieved 850. The page content is analyzed, and based         upon the analysis, content for the link destination is selected         860. The selected content is cached for potential future use         870. Finally, a page is constructed with the dynamically         selected content along with the look and feel associated with         the host from which the link originated 840. The analysis in 860         may take a variety of forms including, in a preferred         embodiment, identification of marked keywords. In another         embodiment, keywords may be dynamically determined using word         count statistics.     -   In a more elaborate system, the retrieval process might         encompass not only the page containing the link but also other         pages linked to the page of link origin. Keywords or word count         analysis could be used to determine context based upon the         aggregation of pages retrieved. In a further embodiment,         differing weights could be given based upon the source of the         keyword identified; keywords from the page of origin would have         a greater weight than keywords derived from pages one link away.     -   Reports         -   A valid host representative will have on-demand access to a             report showing visits to their links and sales. The report             will be scoped by date range. Visits can be summarized by             merchant and by link. Sales can be summarized by merchant             and by link.         -   As illustrated in FIG. 21, a host representative begins at             the Host Manager page 470. She selects the view reports             option 2105 to view the report menu page 2110. From the             reports menu page 2110, she may enter criteria 2114, 2118             leading respectively to a revenue summary page 2120 or a             monthly statement page 2130. From the monthly statement page             2130, she may change criteria 2135 to view a revised monthly             statement 2130 or return to the report menu 2110. From the             revenue summary page 2120, she may select a specific item             2125 for receiving a detailed revenue page 2150, alter the             criteria 2127 to receive a revised revenue summary 2120, or             return to the reports menu page 2110. From the detailed             revenue page 2150, she may return to the revenue summary             page 2120.         -   The following reports are available for the hosts to track             their results:             -   Revenue Summary by Month                 -   This report provides sales and traffic information                     summarized by month. Data includes number of                     sessions, number of orders, gross and net sales,                     etc. Allows ‘Drill Down’ to daily totals.             -   Revenue Summary by Merchant                 -   This report provides sales and traffic information                     summarized by merchant. Data includes number of                     sessions, number of orders, gross and net sales,                     etc.             -   Revenue Summary by Link                 -   This report provides sales and traffic information                     summarized by Link. Data includes number of                     sessions, number of orders, gross and net sales,                     etc.                     3. Shopping

The shopping module is the part of the application that allows customers to find, search, select and buy a product. There is also a return product section accessible to the customer after the order has been placed.

Shopping is the part of the application that the general public will encounter. FIG. 19 displays a screen capture of a typical shopping page in a preferred embodiment. FIG. 22 depicts pages and procedures in a shopping process as implemented in a preferred embodiment.

The customer was on a host site and saw a link to buy something created via the Link generator 2200. When he or she clicks on the link, he or she is taken to the shopping page parameterized with the Link ID 2210. If an error occurs during this transition, the visitor is routed to a link error page 2205.

A variety of generic information may be available from any shopping page within the system. Such information could include information about the e-commerce outsource provider 2222, information about the merchant offering the current commerce object 2224, information about an involved party's privacy policy 2226, or information about an involved party's security policy 2228.

Customers will be able to browse a merchant's catalogue and place items in their shopping cart 2212. When the customer is ready to checkout 2260, the system will acquire payment information 2262 and shipping information 2264 from the user, confirm this information 2266, and execute the transaction. The receipt including a URL that can be used to track the order status (e.g.—it could be bookmarked) will be displayed to the customer 2268. By visiting the URL provided upon checkout from the shopping experience, the customer can check the status of their order, initiate returns, and check on their return status.

This module contains the following submodules:

-   -   Session         -   Each time a new shopping session is started, a customer             session is created for the shopper. This Customer Session is             assigned a Session ID (SID). All pages within the shopping             system must request the SID and call the ValidateSessionID             function. At any time if a session error occurs, a session             error page 2215 may be presented.         -   Unlike the merchant and host sessions, the shopping session             is persistent. The session information retained is what the             customer has placed in the cart and if they have checked             out. The SID is also written back to the customers browser             as a cookie. If a customer returns to the Shopping page an             attempt will be made to use the last session they had. It             will only be reused if the ALL of the following are true:             -   The host the customer is coming from now is the same                 host as in the previous session             -   The merchant for the current link is the same as the                 merchant in the previous session             -   The previous session was not “Checked Out”             -   The session is not older than a certain age.     -   Product Search and Selection         -   The main shopping page begins at the entry point that the             host used to build the Link. This can be to a specific             product, a category of products, a category of             sub-categories, a complete catalog or a dynamically selected             destination. However, no matter what entry point was chosen,             the customer can navigate to every item contained in the             merchant catalog used for the Link serving as the customer's             entry point to the shopping. The customer may browse the             catalog 2230 or search for a specific product or product             category 2240.     -   Shopping Cart         -   The Shopping Cart is the main information saved in a             customer session. As a customer places products in the             shopping cart, we retain information such as:             -   name of the product             -   price of the product             -   any attributes (size, color, etc)             -   host commission rate             -   merchant revenue percent         -   This information must be stored redundantly in the shopping             cart because the price, name, etc may change later and the             values at the time of purchase need to be retained. The             shopping cart interface also allows the shopper to remove a             product and/or change the quantity through a view shopping             cart page 2250.     -   Check Out         -   The check out process is separated into two distinct pieces.             -   Order Capture             -   Credit Validation         -   Order capture is the process of obtaining the customers             billing and shipping information and creating a pending             order. The credit card information is checked to make sure             it is a valid number for the card type but it is not             actually processed with a credit card authorization service             (i.e. CyberCash). The order is accepted, assigned an order             id and the customer is given an on screen and email             confirmation. The pending order has a status of new.         -   The credit validation process happens sometime after the             order capture has occurred. The customer's billing             information is sent to the authorization service. The             pending order now has the status of authorized.         -   If the card is validated, the order is accepted and placed             into the TheOrder table. The pending order has a status of             accepted. If the billing information fails validation, the             pending order status is set to rejected and an email is sent             to the customer informing that the credit card information             could not be validated.             4. System Manager

The System Manager is the “Control Center” for administrators. The administrator can monitor the day-to-day activities and status of the system. When an administrator logs in, he or she is taken directly to the System Manager and assigned a Nexchange Session ID (NexchangeSID). All pages within the System Manager system must request the NexchangeSID and call the ValidateNexchangeSessionID function. If the session does not validate, the user is taken back to the Login screen. Access to administration functions will require authentication using the name and password for a valid administration account.

The home/main page of the System Manager provides a quick summary of the current system status; a screen capture of a typical main page in a preferred embodiment is seen in FIG. 20. This summary includes pending orders, orders, host statistics, merchant statistics and an unattended orders list.

An administrator will be able to configure a hosts or merchant's payment policy. This includes specifications for any holdbacks, and a method for calculating commission/payment. At the request of a merchant, an administrator will be able to configure the system to reject all shopping traffic from a particular host-merchant arrangement. The host and merchant contacts will be notified via email. An administrator will also be able to activate or deactivate a host. The system will reject shopping traffic from inactive hosts. When a host's status is changed, the host contact will be notified via email. An administrator will configure the system to enforce system-wide policies. System-wide policies include the number of days allowed for returns.

The system will periodically run an audit process and report on situations of concern. For example, an audit could search for orders that have not been serviced for a certain period of time. The system may also report on possible security situations such as an inordinate number of account lockout incidents.

This module contains the following submodules:

-   -   Utilities         -   The following utilities are available:             -   List Pending Orders             -   List Orders             -   List Rejected Orders             -   List Returns     -   Host         -   The following actions are available:             -   List Promos             -   List Hosts             -   Maintain Host Tiers             -   Host with Pending Merchants     -   Merchant         -   The following actions are available:             -   List Merchants             -   Copy a Category             -   Find Category Links             -   Add a New Merchant             -   Maintain Brands                 Application Server Tier

The business functionality is provided via “application servers”. An application server will consist of one or more of the business modules, wrapped with an appropriate middleware adapter. This arrangement allows delivery of services via many different mechanisms. For example, if it becomes desirable to serve some functions to a Java client, a Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) version of an application server could be built. The new server could be developed rapidly because only an RMI “wrapper” would need to be developed, while the application logic would be reused. In a preferred embodiment, this layer consists of a set of core C++ software modules that encapsulate business functions.

The Application Server tier may run on one or more application server computers. The application servers are stateless. This means that, for two application servers serving the same functionality, “one is as good as another”. In the event of failure, a client's requests may be handled by a different server than before the failure. Since it does not matter which server services a request, routing is greatly simplified. The stateless server approach also provides excellent fault tolerance since all application servers can back each other up. Use of a combination of “sticky routing” and caching to significantly ameliorate any detrimental performance implications of the stateless approach, while preserving most of the benefit. Once a client begins using a particular service, the system will show a preference for routing future requests from that client to the same server. The servers maintain a cache recently used data and will only access the database if the desired item cannot be used in cache. Since the routing is sticky, the client's data will often be in cache, and in many cases, no database access will be required. Should the client be routed to a new server, the session data can be retrieved from the database as occurs in the “vanilla” stateless model. In a preferred embodiment, the functionality of this layer utilizes one or more low cost server systems 125 a-125 d running a suitable operating system such as Microsoft Windows NT. This tier is also composed of several software layers as illustrated in FIG. 3:

-   -   Remote Procedure Call Server 310. This software provides         connectivity to the Web Server layer and is not application         dependent. In a preferred embodiment, this software layer is the         Objectstore Component Server.     -   Application Logic 320. This software encapsulates the business         functionality. The design of this software layer and the various         application servers is more fully described below.     -   Virtual Database 330. The virtual database layer allows the         application data to be distributed across multiple Database         servers while insulating the application layer from the physical         storage configuration. The virtual database contains a table         that maps object types to physical databases. All database         objects or records of a given type are distributed across the         permissible databases. Databases can be added while the system         is live to permit expansion onto new servers. Overburdened         databases can be closed to prevent assignment of new data to         them. Databases can be moved to different physical servers. All         stored objects are referenced by a handle which is unaffected by         the physical location of the referenced data. The virtual         database layer also permits a collection of objects distributed         across multiple servers to be indexed and searched.     -   DBMS Client 340. This software provides access to data stored in         the databases. In a preferred embodiment, the DBMS client is         Object Design's Objectstore client. All Objectstore clients         contain a cache of recently used database pages. An optimistic         locking scheme is used to ensure cache consistency. The caching         scheme is very effective in the present invention because it is         optimized for many readers and few writers.

In a preferred embodiment, the application server layer includes the following eight application servers:

1. Cashier—Collects checkout information: billing info, shipping preferences, etc.

The Cashier server is analogous to a cashier in a “bricks and mortar” store. The cashier's responsibilities are listed below:

-   -   Collecting Information Necessary To Complete a Sale. This         information will include billing information, shipping         address(s) and preferred shipping methods. In some cases, the         information to be collected may depend on the contents of the         order. The cashier will also access the appropriate merchant         policy information to assist in determining what data should be         collected.     -   Providing an Itemized Account of the Total. Upon receiving the         necessary data, the cashier will compute the applicable taxes,         shipping charges, etc, and provide an itemized account of the         order total.     -   Execute the Sale. Upon request, the cashier will execute the         sale. A copy of the relevant information will be sent to the         credit processor. When the credit processor approves the orders,         the cashier will break the customer's order into individual         merchant orders and forward them to the Merchants' Order         Tracking server. The cashier will also post a record to the         Ledger at this time.         2. Catalog—Houses product hierarchies. Conducts product         searches.

The catalog is an arrangement of product information. The catalog server supports a hierarchical browsing mode and various searching functions. Its responsibilities are listed below:

-   -   Retrieve a catalog upon request. The catalog will include all         content for a shopping experience. For products, the information         will include the product description, price and options.     -   Retrieve a list of products matching a query. This will         initially support simple keyword searching, but may be expanded         to more sophisticated searching techniques.         3. Credit Processor—Conducts card validation and fraud         screening.

The credit processor takes a candidate order and performs card authorization and fraud screening. The card processor cooperates with the order tracker to keep the status of the order updated.

-   -   Perform Credit Card Authorization. Contact the card processing         vendor and authorize the card. Retrieve the Address Verification         System (AVS) code for to use in fraud screening.     -   Perform Fraud Screening. The system performs a fraud screening         analysis based on the following factors: dollar amount of the         order, AVS code, whether the billing and shipping address match,         and whether the email address given is a free e-mail account.         4. Notifier—Sends messages.

The Notifier keeps track of who wants to be notified of what and how they should be notified. The notifier receives notification of various system events and takes the appropriate course of action. The appropriate course of action will depend upon the event and the party to be notified. For example, a merchant that does a high volume of sales and is already integrated with the system may not wish to receive email notification of every order.

5. Ledger—Records and reports on all financial events.

The Ledger is a record of all financial events. The ledger contains interfaces for posting events and interfaces querying and inspecting the ledger. Responsibilities include:

-   -   Post an Order Event. The order event happens when the shopper         confirms an order.     -   Post a Sale Event. The sale event occurs when a merchant marks         the last item in an order shipped.     -   Post an Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) Open Event/Post         an RMA Completed Event/Post an RMA Canceled Event     -   Post a Journal Entry. This interface will be used to record         non-standard events. The posted ledger entries must collectively         have an equal number of debits and credits.         6. Order Tracker—Records and reports on order status.

This is the repository of order information. The order tracker includes a cashier's interface for creating a new order, a Merchant's interface for keeping the order status updated, and a Customer Service interface for checking on the status of the order and making relevant annotations.

-   -   Query Order Status. This method is used by purchaser to check on         the status of a pending order.     -   Ship Order. This method is used by a merchant to document the         parceling of an order into shipments.         7. Shopping Cart—Holds products that have been selected for         purchase.

The shopping cart is simply a collection of Inventory Reservation documents that represent the items that have been selected by the shopper. The shopping cart includes methods for adding and removing Inventory Reservations and for inspecting the contents of the cart.

8. Warehouse—Inventory availability information. Product configuration interfaces.

The Warehouse represents a collection of physical items that are in stock. Responsibilities of the Warehouse are listed below:

-   -   Provide Information on Stock Levels of a Particular Item/Order         Items Having Low Inventory Levels. This is an advanced         capability by which inventory may be dynamically reserved from a         merchant, based on the current inventory levels.     -   Provide Information on Product Configuration Options. The         warehouse will provide a blank Inventory Reservation document         that will specify all of the product's configuration options.     -   Issue Reservations Against Inventory. A shopper will fill out an         Inventory Reservation (which includes all configuration options)         and submit it to the warehouse. If the item, as configured, is         available, the reservation will be issued. This will serve to         reserve the inventory for a fixed period of time.         Database Server Tier

Finally, the Database server tier is composed of a single software layer. This layer is responsible for low level manipulation of the data in the one or more databases. This tier may consist of multiple database servers. Using multiple servers is a major advantage for obvious reasons. The system's database chores can be distributed to many different servers. In a preferred embodiment, the database server is Object Design's Objectstore server. Objectstore supports a “warm failover” mode which allows a backup server to take over automatically if the primary should fail. An Microsoft SQL server is also used in the preferred embodiment to maintain financial records although properly configured another DBMS such as Objectstore or a commercially available accounting package could provide capability suitable for financial record keeping.

The foregoing discussion describes the primary actors interacting with a system according to the present invention. After identifying these actors, typical transaction flows through the system are presented.

There are three main parties in the outsourced e-commerce relationship, excluding the end consumer. These parties include Merchants, Hosts, and the e-commerce outsource provider. This folds into two parties where one party plays the dual role of Host and Merchant.

Merchants

Merchants are the producers, distributors, or resellers of the goods to be sold through the outsource provider. The primary responsibilities of a Merchant are to:

-   -   Maintain an up-to-date catalog within the system including all         products that are available for sale in storefronts served by         the outsource provider     -   Create approval standards for passively recruited Host         applicants based upon website profiles and target audience         characteristics     -   Fulfill all orders received from the e-commerce outsource         provider     -   Provide assistance to outsource provider regarding promotional         strategies. This can be accomplished by supplying marketing         literature and materials, as well as any sales incentives. The         Merchant owns the marketing literature and materials, and may         access and modify these items as necessary.     -   Provide service and support to customers generated via the         outsource e-commerce provider     -   Maintain internal records of orders filled through the outsource         provider and process payments from the outsource provider for         these orders     -   Inform the e-commerce outsource provider of any backlogs,         fulfillment delays, product changes, or other significant         situations

Hosts

A Host is the operator of a website that engages in Internet commerce by incorporating one or more link to the e-commerce outsource provider into its web content. The responsibilities of a Host are to:

-   -   Use the outsource provider Host Manager service bureau to select         the Merchants and products that will be offered from the Host's         website     -   Promote transactions through the e-commerce outsource provider         hosted by the website     -   Regularly review the Merchant offerings for which they have been         approved in order to take advantage of new products and to         review sales and promotional strategies made available to them         by the Merchant

E-Commerce Outsource Provider

The role of outsource provider is to:

-   -   Develop and maintain the outsource provider service bureau—the         systems and software which provide the platform for e-commerce         support services     -   Identify and recruit target Host websites and monitor/manage         these relationships     -   Create customer-transparent Host processing “pages” on a secure         server to receive order and payment information     -   Create, maintain, and update the “look & feel capture” process         through which consumers are able to shop in a         Merchant-controlled storefront within the design and         navigational context of the Host website, preserving the         ownership of the visit experience by the Host     -   Authorize credit card transactions (in most cases)     -   Process credit card payments for orders received (in most cases)     -   Pay periodic commissions to Hosts for orders shipped during a         prior period     -   Transmit orders to Merchants     -   Pay Merchants for orders filled     -   Manage the commission structure for Merchant-Host relationships         to maximize sales and revenues     -   Screen and approve Host applications     -   Support and monitor the merchandise return/refund process and         other customer service functions

This following describes the order entry and settlement process from the initial promotion on a Host website all the way through to fulfillment, payment processing, commission payment, and Merchant payment.

Order Placement, Fulfillment, and Settlement Overview

The overall transaction process is very straightforward. The following is a list of the steps involved in receiving and processing an order request.

-   a) A customer visits a Host website and, through contextually     relevant content, becomes interested in a product offered. -   b) The customer selects the item(s) that she wishes to purchase by     clicking a product image, banner-style link, or text link, or other     offer format taking her to a dynamically generated web pages which     retain the look and feel of the referring Host and are served by the     e-commerce outsource provider. -   c) The customer browses through the products offered, indicating     which items are to be purchased and in what quantities via forms     on-screen. Selected items appear within the shopping cart at the top     of the shopping interface. The user remains on the product screen     without ever being involuntarily removed to a detailed shopping     cart-only screen, representing a significant enhancement over most     shopping cart technology in place today. When all desired products     are selected, the customer initiates the checkout procedure, never     leaving the Host website. -   d) The secure checkout interface appears, still consistent in look     and feel with the Host's referring website. The customer completes     the order form, provides all billing and shipping information     required, confirms the items selected for purchase, and remits     credit card information for payment processing. -   e) Assuming the payment method is authorized, the customer is     returned to another section of the Host's website, possibly just     returning to the page in which the offer was placed, as determined     by the Host. -   f) The e-commerce outsource provider passes the order to the     Merchant in real time. The credit card may be charged at this point     or upon confirmation of shipment. -   g) The Merchant receives and logs the order. -   h) The Merchant then assembles and ships the order to the customer,     keeping the outsource provider apprised of the order status. -   i) Periodically, the outsource provider will remit payment to the     Merchant for that period's filled orders. -   j) Periodically, the outsource provider will remit payment to Hosts     for all commissions earned in the prior period.     Host Process Flow

The process flow for a prospect to become a Host and be fully able to endorse/promote/offer Merchant products is as follows:

-   a) Hosts are recruited from three sources: direct recruiting, in     which the Host prospect is identified by and approached by an     e-commerce outsource provider representative; passive recruiting, in     which the Host has been referred to the outsource provider by other     Hosts, relevant meta-sites (sites that contain lists of and links to     other sites/services), or other sources; and Host Agent recruits, in     which a specialized third party Agent identifies and approaches Host     prospects. In many cases, the use of online signup forms and     brochures may be a factor in recruitment. -   b) Prospect completes the Host application form (except where     preapproved), providing information about the type of website(s)     operated by the Host, some traffic statistics about these websites     and general visitor demographics, and complete contact information.     The prospect also selects an outsource provider system user ID and     password which will later be used to access the system, retrieve     important Hosting information and programming, and modify the custom     materials in the outsource provider transaction processing engine. -   c) The application is received and the information therein is     reviewed, and the application is either approved or rejected (unless     this is a preapproved Host). If approved, the Host's ID and password     are activated, and an automated message is sent to the new Host     informing them of their approval. This message will also contain     instructions for accessing the e-commerce outsource provider system,     setting up their links to the outsource provider, and inserting     outsource provider data into their website(s). Preapproved Hosts     will be immediately able to access this system upon submission of     their application. -   d) Host accesses e-commerce outsource provider system to begin the     step-by-step setup process. The Host first identifies a page from     their own website which will provide the look and feel to be     replicated. Following this, the Host configures product selections     for each of its approved Merchants and downloads product images,     text, and CGI/HTML code for their own website. Host then completes     changes to website and activates new content. Hosts are free to     promote their use of the outsource provider as they feel is suitable     to the product at any time and with any frequency, subject to     reasonable limitations. -   e) Hosts will be able to access real-time reports about transaction     volume including number of users, average purchase amount per user,     number of purchases on specified days or within specified date     ranges. Hosts can create customized reports to determine conversion     rates, top selling products, commissions earned, paid, and due, and     other pertinent information. This information can be leveraged by     the e-commerce outsource provider and the Host to improve the     efficacy of targeted marketing efforts on the Host's website.     Internal System Transaction Flow

The e-commerce outsource provider system acts as a clearinghouse for all orders. The system maintains a real-time interface with a credit card authorization and processing service and a robust database engine which is able to process transactions, record all transaction activities, generate reports used for commission payments and auditing of Merchant invoices, and track order status. The transaction flow for the outsource provider service bureau is directly related to the structure of the underlying database.

This flow can be described as follows:

-   a) Customer, visiting Host, activates link to commerce object within     context of Host's website. This activation is typically accomplished     by clicking on a hyperlink of some kind within a webpage of the     Host's website. -   b) The e-commerce outsource provider launches new storefront     featuring specific products or product category for Merchant, as     determined by Host, with the look and feel of the Host's site. The     user is not made aware of the fact that this shopping experience is     taking place on an outsourced server. -   c) As customer browses through featured items in the Merchant's     catalog, the outsource provider serves additional pages while     maintaining the look and feel of the Host. The system maintains a     dynamic record of customers activities including products reviewed,     items selected for purchase (placed into shopping cart), and time     spent shopping. The e-commerce outsource provider uses a highly     reliable and accurate tracking technology throughout the shopping     experience. -   d) Upon checkout, the system processes customer billing, shipping,     and order information via secure (encrypted) data transmission     (unless the consumer opts for non-encrypted transmission). This     process includes an order confirmation process and a process by     which a non-approved credit card transaction may be corrected and     resubmitted. -   e) Upon approval, the outsource provider performs several     simultaneous functions:     -   Thank you screen is displayed to customer     -   Customer is prompted to “continue” browsing Host's website.     -   E-mail confirmation is sent to customer detailing order         information, fulfillment process, customer service terms and         procedures, and other relevant information.     -   Order is transmitted to the Merchant electronically, via e-mail         or direct link to order entry system.     -   Order is logged into transaction database and logged by system         in conjunction with Host referral information.     -   Host is notified that a sale has been made and commission         dollars have been earned.

The second part of the e-commerce outsource provider service bureau transaction process pertains to reconciliation and settlement with the Merchants.

-   a) Orders are transmitted to each Merchant as received and are     logged into the system for future reference and reporting. -   b) Periodically, the outsource provider will pay each Merchant for     orders processed during the prior period. Payment will be driven by     shipped orders as recorded within the system. Merchants can view     their accumulated sales within the system at any time during the     period, and historical information will be available as well.

The final part of the e-commerce outsource provider Service Bureau transaction process pertains to the payment of commissions to Hosts.

-   c) Periodically, the e-commerce outsource provider will calculate     the accumulated commissions due to each Host from the prior period's     results. Hosts will be able to review their earnings on a real-time     basis at any point during a period. -   d) The outsource provider will then pay each Host the appropriate     commission amount via electronic payment or check along with a copy     of the transactions and total report for the period being settled.     Merchant Transaction Flow

Each Merchant will be required to fulfill every order received through the e-commerce outsource provider within a designated time frame. Merchants must also be able to track certain information regularly and accurately. Merchants will be monitored to ensure timely fulfillment in order to provide the best quality customer service.

The steps of the Merchants transaction flow after they have been established within the system are as follows:

-   a) The designated recipient of orders within the Merchant     organization will check for new orders at least on a daily basis, if     not more frequently. Orders are received by the Merchant via e-mail     or other electronic notification, including automated direct input     to legacy order management systems owned or operated by the     Merchant. These orders include all pertinent customer data required     for fulfillment of each order. Merchants may also view all orders     online, sorted by date, status (new/viewed), or other criteria, and     download orders in bulk form directly from the outsource provider. -   b) After receiving the order, the Merchant will ship the order to     the Customer within a reasonable time period for the type of     merchandise ordered. Merchant will have the ability to modify the     shipping status of the orders within the system. Merchants are     obligated to provide timely shipping of their products. If any item     ordered is out of stock or discontinued, the Merchant must update     their catalog on the e-commerce outsource provider immediately and     notify any affected customers immediately via e-mail or regular     mail. Orders should be processed according to whatever internal     process flow has been established by the Merchant. -   c) Upon receipt of payment for the prior month's orders, the     Merchant is responsible for reconciling the amount remitted with     their own fulfillment records. Any disputes should be addressed by     accessing the Merchant interface and querying/updating records.

The embodiments described above are given as illustrative examples only. It will be readily appreciated that many deviations may be made from the specific embodiment disclosed in this specification without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the claims below rather than being limited to the specifically described embodiment above. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of serving informational pages offering commercial opportunities, the method comprising, with a computer system serving displayable information of an outsource provider: upon receiving over the Internet an electronic request generated by an Internet-accessible computing device of a visitor in response to selection of a uniform resource locator (URL) within a source web page that has been served to the visitor computing device when visiting a host website controlled by a third party to the owner of the computer system, wherein the URL correlates the source web page with at least one commerce object associated with a buying opportunity of a merchant that is a third party to the owner of the computer system, automatically serving to the visitor computing device a dynamically generated composite page containing instructions directing the visitor computing device to display: (i) information associated with the commerce object associated with the URL that has been activated, which commerce object includes at least one product available for sale through the computer system after activating the URL, and (ii) a plurality of visually perceptible elements visually corresponding to the source web page, wherein the visually perceptible elements comprise any of the following applicable features: logos, colors, page layout, navigation systems, frames, and visually perceptible mouse-over effects, wherein the plurality of visually perceptible elements define an overall appearance of the composite page that, excluding the information associated with the commerce object, visually corresponds to the source web page, and wherein the instructions direct the visitor computing device to download data defining the visually perceptible elements from an information storage that is accessible to the visitor computing device through the Internet.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the information storage is a device coupled to the computer system, and wherein the computer system further serves a website of the outsource provider.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the visually perceptible elements are each associated with respective of a plurality of URLs, each of which URLs also are present on at least some of the web pages of the host website, and which URLs point to respective web pages of the host website.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the commerce object associated with the URL that has been activated comprises information defining an electronic catalog having a multitude of products offered for sale by the merchant through a website of an outsource provider, and wherein the composite page contains one or more selectable URLs connecting a hierarchical set of additional web pages of the outsource provider website, each pertaining to a subset of the product offerings in the catalog.
 5. The method of claim 4 further comprising, automatically with the computer system, (i) accepting search parameters inputted at the visitor computing device, (ii) using said parameters to search for specific products within the catalog, and (iii) serving the results for display on the visitor computing device.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the search parameters are inputted through a browser running on the visitor computing device and wherein the results are displayed through the browser.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the commerce object associated with the URL that has been activated comprises information defining a multitude of products of at least the merchant, and further comprising, automatically with the computer system, (i) accepting search parameters inputted at the visitor computing device, (ii) using said parameters to search for specific products within the plurality of products, and (iii) serving the results for display on the visitor computing device.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the search parameters are inputted through a browser running on the visitor computing device and wherein the results are displayed through the browser.
 9. A computer system of an outsource provider programmed to serve informational pages containing displayable information offering commercial opportunities comprising a computer server connected and programmed to: upon receiving over the Internet an electronic request generated by an Internet-accessible computing device of a visitor in response to selection of a uniform resource locator (URL) within a source web page that has been served to the visitor computing device when visiting a host website controlled by a third party to the owner of the computer system, wherein the URL correlates the source web page with at least one commerce object associated with a buying opportunity of a merchant that is a third party to the owner of the computer system, automatically serve to the visitor computing device a dynamically generated composite page containing instructions directing the visitor computing device to display: (i) information associated with the commerce object associated with the URL that has been activated, which commerce object includes at least one product available for sale through the computer system after activating the URL, and (ii) a plurality of visually perceptible elements visually corresponding to the source web page, wherein the visually perceptible elements comprise any of the following applicable features: logos, colors, page layout, navigation systems, frames, and visually perceptible mouse-over effects, wherein the plurality of visually perceptible elements define an overall appearance of the composite page that, excluding the information associated with the commerce object, visually corresponds to the source web page, and wherein the instructions direct the visitor computing device to download data defining the visually perceptible elements from an information storage that is accessible to the visitor computing device through the Internet.
 10. The system of claim 9 further comprising the information storage, wherein the information storage is a device coupled to the computer server, and wherein the computer system is further programmed to serve a website of an outsource provider.
 11. The system of claim 9 wherein at least some of the visually perceptible elements are each associated with respective of a plurality of URLs, each of which URLs also are present on at least some of the web pages of the host website, and which URLs point to respective web pages of the host website.
 12. The system of claim 9 wherein the commerce object associated with the URL that has been activated comprises information defining an electronic catalog having a multitude of products offered for sale by the merchant through a website of an outsource provider, and wherein the composite page contains one or more selectable URLs connecting a hierarchical set of additional web pages of the outsource provider website, each pertaining to a subset of the product offerings in the catalog.
 13. The system of claim 12 further comprising, automatically with the computer system, (i) accepting search parameters inputted at the visitor computing device, (ii) using said parameters to search for specific products within the catalog, and (iii) serving the results for display on the visitor computing device.
 14. The system of claim 13 wherein the search parameters are inputted through a browser running on the visitor computing device and wherein the results are displayed through the browser.
 15. The system of claim 9 wherein the commerce object associated with the URL that has been activated comprises information defining a multitude of products of at least the merchant, and further comprising, automatically with the computer system, (i) accepting search parameters inputted at the visitor computing device, (ii) using said parameters to search for specific products within the plurality of products, and (iii) serving the results for display on the visitor computing device.
 16. The system of claim 15 wherein the search parameters are inputted through a browser running on the visitor computing device and wherein the results are displayed through the browser. 